Against the Current - Chapter 31

Chapter 31 - Peach Juice

Amidst the banquet, several matrons chatted and laughed merrily while maidservants and old women bustled back and forth carrying trays. After standing for a while, Xianglan grew tired, and her stomach even let out a couple of hunger growls. She quietly clenched her fists to massage her legs, only to notice Cao Lihuan secretly slipping a peach into her sleeve, standing up, and walking away.

Xianglan hurried to follow behind. Cao Lihuan went to the rear latrine and told Xianglan, "I need to relieve myself. Keep watch for me here and don't let anyone else in."

Xianglan nodded in assent, yet overcome by curiosity, she thought to herself, Why on earth is she sneaking a peach just to go to the outhouse? Peeking quietly through a crack in the door, she saw Cao Lihuan take a small, beauty-shoulder-shaped vial out of her purse, pour out the dew-of-life vitality pills it contained, peel the peach, and squeeze its juice directly into the bottle. She then tossed the remaining peach pit, skin, and pulp straight out the window into the lake, before pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her hands.

Xianglan hurriedly smoothed her expression and stood demurely back at attention. Cao Lihuan walked out and returned straight to her seat at the banquet. Puzzled to her wits' end, Xianglan wondered what on earth her cousin-mistress was up to. Cao Lihuan picked up the wine ewer in front of her, gave it a gentle shake, and realizing there was still half a pot left inside, she covertly uncorked the small vial hidden in her sleeve and poured the peach juice into the wine. While the others were either chatting or eating, not a single person noticed. Standing diagonally behind Cao Lihuan and keeping her eyes fixed on her the entire time, Xianglan saw the entire scene with crystal clarity. She then watched as Cao Lihuan poured Lin Dongqi a full cup of wine, raised her own cup to toast, and pressed her to drink with utmost hospitality. Unable to refuse, Lin Dongqi had no choice but to down a cup. Seeing this, Lin Dongling insisted on making a toast as well, whereupon Cao Lihuan refilled Lin Dongqi's wine cup, forcing her to consume yet another cup.

The young ladies at this table were drinking fruit wine, which was originally brewed from grapes; even with some peach juice added, the taste was barely distinguishable. After Cao Lihuan repeatedly coaxed Lin Dongqi into drinking several cups, a cold smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

A shudder ran through Xianglan from head to toe as she suddenly recalled how, the last time Cao Lihuan sent palace artificial flowers to the Lin family young ladies, Lin Dongqi had explicitly stated that she could not tolerate peaches—let alone eating them, even a mere touch would cause her skin to break out in rashes! In an instant, it all clicked into place. So that was it... Cao Lihuan harbored such a vicious and ruthless intention!

Xianglan's heart pounded wildly against her ribs while she forced a calm exterior, trying to figure out what she should do. Just then, she saw Cao Lihuan beckon her over and instruct, "Go back to my dressing table and fetch the small pouch inside."

Xianglan had no choice but to head back. Watching Xianglan's retreating figure with a cold smile, Cao Lihuan raised her cup, took a sip of wine, and thought to herself that she would soon give her a taste of suffering—making her obediently let herself be pinched and molded in the palm of her hand for the rest of her life!

Once she stepped outside the pavilion, Xianglan slowed her pace, thinking to herself, In my past life, whenever I ate fish or shrimp that didn't agree with me, my skin would swell up in rashes; there was even one time my throat swelled shut so I couldn't breathe, and I nearly lost my life. If the Second Young Lady suffers some mishap from this peach juice, it will be a disaster. I need to find a way to send word to Madam. She clenched her fists and looked around, spotting Qin Shi's senior maid, Hongjian, chatting and laughing with a few other maids along the corridor. A surge of joy welled up in Xianglan's heart; she walked over, bent down, and whispered, "Elder Sister Hongjian, I have something urgent to tell you."

Hongjian looked up to see a fair, delicate, and clever-looking young maid whose large, blinking eyes held a trace of anxiety. Though she looked pleasing enough, Hongjian couldn't recall where she had seen her, and asked, "Who are you..."

Xianglan hurriedly interrupted, "I have an extremely critical matter to tell you, Sister." Disregarding whether Hongjian was willing or not, she leaned in close and whispered into her ear, "I just saw the cousin-mistress extract juice from a peach and pour it into the grape wine, tricking the Second Young Lady into drinking several cups of it."

Hongjian's expression changed drastically, and she gasped in shock, "Really?"

Xianglan nodded and lowered her voice further, "I saw it with my own eyes. The cousin-mistress took a peach from the fruit platter, took advantage of a trip to the latrine to squeeze the peach into juice, poured it into a porcelain vial, and when she came back, she quietly mixed it into the wine ewer, filling up several cups for the Second Young Lady. I saw it as plain as day standing right behind her."

With a look of startled suspicion on her face, Hongjian stood up, pulled Xianglan over to a secluded spot, and asked, "What is your name? Where do you serve?"

Xianglan replied, "My name is Xianglan. I was born into a servant family of the Lin household, and after entering the manor, I've been serving at Luoxue Pavilion."

Hongjian looked Xianglan up and down a few times, then nodded and said, "I understand." With that, she turned and hurried back inside.

Xianglan let out a long breath, wanting to stay right there and wait for Hongjian, but fearing she would be spotted by Cao Lihuan, she hesitated before deciding she had better escape this place of trouble and return to fetch the pouch for Cao Lihuan.

Emerging from the garden and heading toward the western rear of the estate, the crowd gradually thinned out. Just as she reached the courtyard entrance, she caught sight of Sishun standing there craning his neck and looking around. A wave of disgust washed over Xianglan; ignoring him completely, she walked straight toward her room.